Alkoxylate and alcohol free fuel additives

Abstract

There is described a fuel composition which is substantially free of alkoxylated compounds and is substantially free of long-chain alkyl alcohols having at least 6 C atoms, and contains at least 95% by volume of a hydrocarbon-based fuel and 0.1 to 5% by volume of an additive of the formula (I); R—CO—NR 1 R 2 (I) in which R is a saturated or unsaturated, linear or branched alkyl radical having 6 to 21 C atoms; and R 1 and R 2 , which may be the same or different, each represent a hydroxyalkyl radical having 1 to 4 atoms.

1. A fuel composition which (i) is substantially free of alkoxylated compounds; and (ii) is substantially free of long-chain alkyl alcohols having at least 6 C atoms; and (iii) contains at least 95% by volume of a hydrocarbon-based fuel comprising a diesel oil and 0.1 to 5% by volume of an additive of the formula (I):
   R—CO—NR 1 R 2   
 
       wherein R is a saturated or unsaturated, linear or branched alkyl radical having 6 to 21 C atoms; and
 R 1  and R 2 , which may be the same or different, are each a hydroxyalkyl radical having 1 to 4 C atoms; wherein 
 the hydrocarbon-based fuel comprises as an oxygenator, ethanol, wherein the ethanol contains no more than 0.5% water, and 
 wherein the total fuel composition contains less than about 0.2% water by volume. 
 
     
     
       2. A fuel composition according to  claim 1  wherein the ethanol is present in an amount of from 1 to 10% by volume. 
     
     
       3. A fuel composition according to  claim 1  wherein R 1  and R 2  are the same. 
     
     
       4. A fuel composition according to  claim 3  wherein the radicals R 1  and R 2  are the same and each is hydroxyethyl. 
     
     
       5. A fuel composition according to  claim 1  wherein the radical R has 11 to 21 C atoms. 
     
     
       6. A fuel composition according to  claim 1  wherein the compound of formula I is an oleic acid diethanolamide. 
     
     
       7. A fuel composition according to  claim 1  wherein the additive has an HLB value of less than 12. 
     
     
       8. A fuel composition according to  claim 1  wherein the volume ratio (v/v) of fuel to additive is in the range of 1000:0.5 to 1000:50. 
     
     
       9. A fuel composition according to  claim 1  wherein the volume ratio (v/v) of fuel to additive is in the range 1000:1 to 1000:50. 
     
     
       10. A fuel composition according to  claim 1  wherein the fuel composition consists of 85 to 98.9% by volume of diesel oil, ito 10% by volume of aleehel ethanol and 0.1 to 5% by volume of an additive of formula I. 
     
     
       11. A fuel composition according to  claim 1  wherein the fuel composition consists of 89 to 94.5% by volume of diesel oil, 5 to 8% by volume of ethanol and 0.5 to 3% by volume of additive. 
     
     
       12. A fuel composition according to  claim 1  wherein the diesel oil comprises a petroleum diesel. 
     
     
       13. A fuel composition according to  claim 1  wherein a proportion of the diesel oil is a biodiesel. 
     
     
       14. A fuel composition according to  claim 1  wherein the total fuel composition is substantially anhydrous. 
     
     
       15. A fuel composition according to  claim 1  wherein the composition further comprises an additional nitrogen compound. 
     
     
       16. A fuel composition according to  claim 15  wherein the nitrogen compound is selected from the group consisting of ammonia, hydrazine, alkyl hydrazine, dialkyl hydrazine, urea, ethanolamine, monoalkyl ethanolamine, and dialkyl ethanolamine wherein alkyl is independently selected from methyl, ethyl, n-propyl or isopropyl. 
     
     
       17. A method of solubilising a nitrogen source in a fuel composition which comprises mixing a hydrocarbon fuel composition according to  claim 1  and a nitrogen source. 
     
     
       18. A fuel composition according to  claim 1  wherein the composition also comprises a cetane booster in amount of from 0.1% v/v to 1.0% v/v, based on the volume of the composition. 
     
     
       19. A fuel composition according to  claim 18  wherein the cetane booster is selected from the group consisting of 2-ethyihexyl nitrate, tertiary butyl peroxide, diethylene glycol methyl ether, cyclohexanol, and mixtures thereof. 
     
     
       20. A fuel composition according to  claim 1  wherein the fuel consists of a substantially stable, clear and substantially homogeneous solution. 
     
     
       21. A fuel composition according to  claim 1  wherein the composition comprises a demulsifier in an amount of less than 5% v/v. 
     
     
       22. A process for the preparation of a fuel composition according to  claim 1 , which comprises mixing the additive in an amount of from 0.1 to 5% by volume with diesel oil and splash blending the mixture into a clear, stable fuel. 
     
     
       23. A process for the preparation of a fuel composition according to  claim 1 , which comprises (i) dissolving the additive in an amount of from 0.1 to 5% by volume in ethanol to produce an additive solution; and (ii) splash blending the solution with a hydrocarbon fuel. 
     
     
       24. A method of running an internal combustion engine comprising the use of a fuel composition according to  claim 1 . 
     
     
       25. The fuel composition of  claim 1  comprising from about 1 to about 10% by volume of ethanol. 
     
     
       26. A fuel composition which (i) is substantially free of alkoxylated compounds; and (ii) is substantially free of long-chain alkyl alcohols having at least 6 C atoms; and
 (iii) contains at least 95% by volume of a hydrocarbon-based fuel comprising a diesel oil and 0.1 to 5% by volume of an additive of the formula (I):
   R—CO—NR 1 R 2   
 
 
       wherein R is a saturated or unsaturated, linear or branched alkyl radical having 6 to 21 C atoms; and
 R 1  and R 2 , which may be the same or different, are each a hydroxyalkyl radical having 1 to 4 C atoms; wherein 
 the hydrocarbon-based fuel comprises as an oxygenator, ethanol, 
 wherein the ethanol contains no more than 0.5% water, and 
 wherein the total fuel composition contains less than about 0.5% water by weight.